Hermione Granger and the Dragon That Lived
by Inkblot98
Summary: Hermione Granger finally gets the spotlight! When Hermione returns to Hogwarts for her Seventh Year, mysterious deaths occur in the Forbidden Forest. With impossible NEWT classes, a lovesick boy, and a mystery, can Hermione handle the load? Please review!
1. Heartbreak

**Author's Note: My second FanFiction! Please review! **

**Here's my full disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any material, characters, etc. If any material is offensive to others, please accept my full apology. I may have some quotes from Harry Potter, again, I do not own them.**

Hermione Granger and the Dragon That Lived

Chapter 1: Heartbreak

Hermione Granger was a strange girl in many ways. First, she really liked reading books and doing homework. Second, she had just fought in a terrible war in which many of her friends died. Third, she was a nineteen year old witch.

She walked around her big, spacious room. There was a mahogany bookshelf on the back wall, crammed full with books. The books had titles like _Advanced Defense, Standard Book of Spells, Book 6, _and a strange book that was snarling, a belt clamped shut around it. A heavy trunk was next to her bed, everything neat and tidy in it.

The time was 2:00 AM, and her parents were asleep. Her parents… _after the Second Wizarding War, Hermione had taken an airplane down to Australia, where she had sent her parents. She finally found her parents in a run-down hotel._

"_Hello. You look really familiar. Are you my niece?" Hermione's dad asked._

"_No, silly. I'm your daughter." Hermione said smiling, taking out her wand._

Hermione smiled at the memory. She looked over at her dresser. Her friends, Ron, Harry, Luna, and Neville were waving and laughing back at her, through golden frames. However hard she tried, she could not get Ron and Harry to go back to Hogwarts for their seventh and final year. They only wanted to continue on with their lives. George had wanted Ron to help with _Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. _Harry had wanted to continue on with his ambition to become an Auror. After the war, Kingsley Shacklebolt let all those who participated in the war to join the Auror squad without taking any entrance examinations.

Just seeing Ron's face made her swell up with joy. Ron had proposed to her the second the long war was over. Hermione felt euphoric- however, what about her education? What about her ambition?

"_Ronald, I don't know what to say. I love you, but I don't want my life to end so soon. Tell you what, Ron. If you truly love me, you would wait one more year. Let me have one more year of freedom, and I promise I'll marry you."_

In the end, Ron agreed to let Hermione attend her last year at Hogwarts.

"_Just don't hook up with McLaggen or anyone like him," he said with a smile._

Hermione remembered this last conversation with Ron. She felt immensely tired and flopped off on her bed, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

_Tap tap. Tap tap. _Hermione snapped her eyes open. There was something at her window. Hermione looked closer and discovered that _thing _was a handsome tawny owl, a letter clamped in its beak.

Hermione grinned. Finally, her letter to Hogwarts arrived. She opened the window and the owl flew in. Her cat, Crookshanks, hissed silently.

"Shh, Crookshanks, it's just an owl."

She slit open the letter, and read it.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_We have received your request to continue with your Hogwarts tuition for your last year. Please note that seventh years must take the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test. Your new courses and books are included in the envelope. _

_Term starts September 1__st__. Enjoy the rest of your holidays!_

_Sincerely,_

_Professor McGonagall, _

_Headmistress of Hogwarts_

Hermione noticed that there was a bulge in the envelope. From the envelope, she took out... a Head Girl's Badge! Hermione was shocked. After the whole adventure with Harry and Ron, she didn't even remember that seventh year students got to be Head Boy or Girl!

* * *

><p>"Hermione, breakfast!" her mum yelled from downstairs.<p>

Hermione ran down the stairs.

"Mum, would it be okay if you drive me down to the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow? I have some new supplies to buy."

"Sure, honey. What are some of the new books you need?"

"Umm… I need _Potion Making for Masters, Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7, Understanding and Fighting the Dark Arts, Advanced Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Grade 7, _new pairs of robes, and a new potions kit."

"Are any of your friends going back to Hogwarts, dear?"

Hermione sighed. She thought of Ron, and her heart felt weighed down with lead.

"No. Ron is going to help his brother George with the joke shop. Harry is going into the Auror's Department. Luna and Ginny are staying, though." _Luna will be in the same year as me. How strange. _

"Oh yeah! Mum, I just received the letter that I was chosen for Head Girl!"

"That's wonderful! But I always known you would do it!"

Hermione beamed. She poured some cereal in her bowl. "_Accio milk!" _she cried. The carton of milk zoomed towards her.

* * *

><p>The cobblestoned street of Diagon Alley stretched in front of Hermione. Diagon Alley was the same as the first time she stepped foot in the place. The street was lined with stores, with names like <em>Ollivander's Wands, Magical Menagerie, <em>and _Flourish and Blotts. _At the end of the street laid a huge white building, Gringotts. Hermione could still clearly remember the blind dragon soaring out of its domed roof.

Hermione went to get her books first. The manager inside the shop was as kind as ever. He helped Hermione find all the books she needed. Just when she was leaving the store, she accidently bumped into someone. All the books were knocked out of her hands.

"Oh, sorry." The stranger had a strange accent_. _His voice sounded oddly familiar. The stranger lifted off his hood.

"Her-my-own, is that you?"

"Victor? Is that you?" Suddenly, her heart started beating faster.

"I am here on a business trip. Didn't you hear? I work for Gringotts now. My days as an international Quidditch player are over."

"But- why?"

"I'm tired of not getting any girls. Vot is the point of being an international Quidditch player when all the good-looking girls are taken?"

"What do you mean, taken?"

"Her-my-own, you don't have to lie anymore. I know you love that redhead. But just let me have one more kiss."

Krum pulled Hermione into the shop. Shutting the door, he embraced her and kissed her.

Hermione gasped, and started to cry.

"Oh, Victor. I'm so sorry. But I chose Ron, 2 years ago. Please…"

"I'm sorry too. Sorry that I can never claim you as my own. Good bye, Her-my-own."

Victor Krum pulled his hood back up, and left the shop.

Hermione stood in a daze. Then, holding all of her books, she rushed out of the store, and ran in an alleyway to cry.

_Why should I cry? I clearly remember telling him that I love Ron. But why do I feel remorse? How could I just break his heart like that?_

Her sobs grew louder. It echoed around the alleyway, finally reaching the narrow street.

Ron Weasley was walking to the Apothecary. George had sent him there to get some new supplies.

He passed by the alleyway Hermione was currently occupying. Someone was crying in there. It sounded a lot like... _Hermione?_

"Hermione? Is that you?" Ron's voice sounded next to her.

"Go… away!"

"Why are you crying? What happened?"

"Oh, Ron, I just saw Krum!" Hermione gasped between sobs.

Ron immediately understood what had happened. He hugged Hermione.

"Hermione, it's okay. I'll still love you. Everything will be fine."

Ron pulled Hermione towards him, and they started kissing, kissing like there was no tomorrow.

"I'll always love you, Ron. Please, remember that."

Hermione finished her shopping confused and dazed. When she finally got home, she flopped down on her bed and continued sobbing.

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading this FanFiction! I will continue to update with the second chapter, planning for this story to have 10 chapters. Please review!**


	2. An Unwanted Kiss

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! The second chapter is finally up! I'm sorry that it took so long, but I was working on a collection of short stories: Untold Secrets of Albus Dumbledore. Please review this! This new chapter includes: nostalgia, a new ambition, some fancy spellwork, and an unwanted kiss. Again, please review!**

Chapter 2: Back to Hogwarts

Hermione walked down the long corridor of the Hogwarts Express, heading for the Head Boy/Girl compartment. All the students were unrecognizable- after all, they were all a year younger than her._ It's like getting held back. The shame._

"Granger, you're the Head Girl?"

Hermione spun around. She spotted the Head Boy badge on his chest, and looked up.

"_Cormac?_ You got picked for Head Boy?"

"People say I look like my brother, but I didn't think the resemblance was that deep. I'm Bill."

Hermione instantly disliked the boy. He had a braggish tone, and looked exactly like his older brother.

"I get the chance my brother threw away- to get to date a girl like you."

Hermione shuddered. She felt like she wanted to vomit.

They both went into Head Boy/Girl compartment.

The compartment was the most comfy part on the whole train. It had enormous couches and poufs, with its own snack bar. The compartment had separate bathrooms.

"This is the life." Bill said in a satisfied tone, as he laid down on one of the couches.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We're supposed to patrol the corridors, remember?"

"Hermione! There you are!" a pair of voices called from behind them.

It was Luna and Ginny. "I thought you didn't come to Hogwarts this year again! "

"I couldn't just throw away my education like Ron and Harry did." Hermione said, laughing.

"Come on! Let's go to the castle together!" Ginny said.

The thestrals were waiting for them, along with their carriages.

The ride was as bumpy as ever, but Hermione couldn't help but grin. When was the last time she had ridden the carriages? Two years ago? When the carriage passed by the large castle, her smile grew even larger.

It appeared that the teachers had fixed the castle, after the war. The turrets and walls looked the same. Even the grounds looked the same. But what were those…?

"That's the Hogwart's Graveyard. The people who died in the war were buried here," Ginny said.

Hermione looked closer. The grave markers had a certain magic about them. Her friends were buried here. The full effect of the statement sank into Hermione. The bodies of Fred, Tonks, Lupin, and Collin Creevey were here, at Hogwarts. Hermione looked over at Ginny, and was not surprised to see tears sliding down her face. Her brother had died in the war.

Hermione put her arm around Ginny as the carriage sped towards the great oak doors of Hogwarts.

The Great Hall was as enchanting as ever. Thousands of candles floated overhead. The ceiling reflected the real night sky. Tonight, the ceiling was dark with bright stars.

"Miss Granger, Mr. McLaggen, I would like to see you for a second!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out above the din.

"Probably something about being Heads." Bill muttered as they left the Great Hall and followed Professor McGonagall up the marble staircase.

They finally arrived to her office. But it wasn't her old office. Professor McGonagall had taken Professor Dumbledore's old office.

"Lemon drop!" The stone gargoyle moved aside. Professor McGonagall ushered the pair of them in.

The office looked different. Instead of the whizzing instruments, heavy books were placed on the table. The portraits of the headmasters and headmistresses lined the wall. Hermione immediately spotted the portrait of Severus Snape. Harry made the request that the portrait of Snape be placed alongside the portraits of other great headmasters.

Professor McGonagall turned to face them.

"Welcome to a new term. As Head Boy and Girl, your grades this term must be perfect. Being Head Boy and Girl is a privilege. Don't throw it away. Also, every week, you have a duty to assist any teachers who need help with various subjects. Is that clear?"

Hermione and Bill nodded. As they turned to leave, Professor McGonagall called out "Miss Granger, I need to talk with you."

"Yes, professor?"

"I would like to ask you what your future ambition is. You obviously did not want to become an Auror, because if you have, you wouldn't be at Hogwarts this year."

"I guess my ambition changed since I started SPEW. I want to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, protecting the rights of House-Elves everywhere."

"Thank you for sharing that with me. You may go now."

Hermione left her office. The second she left, a hand grabbed her and dragged her into an empty classroom.

"Let go of me!" she cried.

"Not a chance, Granger. Thought we could share a first-day-back kiss."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She pulled out her wand and said, "Bill, I'm really sorry to do this."

Hermione yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus!"_

Bill flew all the way to the open doorway. He slid out to the hallway, his body frozen, in shock and by the spell. Hermione walked out.

"_Finite!" _she said.

Bill got up, dusting himself off.

"Whew, girl, that's some crazy-"

"Just try that again," Hermione said in a steely voice.

She left Bill standing in the now empty hallway. _Serves him right. _

**Author's Note: Well? Do you like this new set of installations? The next chapter will come out... drumroll... I don't know. Maybe this week? It took me a couple of days to write this one. Review what you want to see in the next few chapters. I'm serious- I will listen. Until then, bye!**


	3. Mysterious Deaths

**Author's Note: I was overwhelmed by the number of people who read the first and second chapters. Thanks you guys, you're awesome! As a reward, here's the third chapter of this story. Please enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

Hermione Granger and the Dragon That Lived

Chapter 3

"Today's homework: ten rolls of parchment on the theory of Transfiguration, to be handed in tomorrow."

The class moaned.

"Ten? But we already have to do five rolls for Sprout!" a boy yelled.

Professor McGonagall's nose flared.

"Do you want me to make it twenty? Students, your NEWT examinations are coming up!"

"In about a year," muttered the boy.

"Detention, Mr. Davis! As I was saying, the NEWT exams are the highest examinations Hogwarts can give you. If you do not pass, you would have wasted 7 years of education."

Hermione sat through it all. She was neither appalled nor shocked at the amount of homework. To tell the truth, she was already prepared for the mountain of homework seventh year students have to cope with.

The bell rang in the far distance.

"Class dismissed. Mr. Davis, see me for your detention."

The class rose as if it were some sort of liquid. Hermione grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

"Hermione, wait up!"

It was Ginny.

"Do you get today's class in Transfiguration? What's the special theory?"

However, they were interrupted once again, by Bill.

Hermione sighed. He was getting immensely annoying.

"Hey, Granger, what say you and I go on a date tomorrow?"

"Can it, Bill. I'm not interested." Hermione turned and walked briskly off in the next direction.

Hermione spread out all her 759 pages of notes on her scarlet bed sheets. She could not do her homework in the common room, because Bill kept throwing her looks.

Ginny walked through the dormitory door, yawning.

"That homework sure is hard. I just got it done. What about you?"

Hermione smiled. "I'm working on next week's homework. I have to stay ahead, you know."

The clanking of spoons and dishes summarized the noise in the Great Hall when it was breakfast.

A thousand owls swooped down from the rafters. They were majestic- some were pure white, others were the musty color of dust.

Hermione usually didn't get any owls. Her family didn't own one, and if her parents had ever wanted to get a message to her, they will borrow an owl from the nearest Wizarding post office.

Nevertheless, today she had mail. A handsome owl spread its wings out and landed gracefully in front of Hermione.

A letter was clamped shut in its beak. Hermione quickly ripped open the letter.

It was from Ron.

_Dear Hermione,_

_ How are you? The sales from Wizarding Wizard Wheezes have reached its pinnacle since it was opened. _

_ I have one question: When is your next Hogsmeade date? Meet me in the Three Broomsticks._

_ Send my regards to Ginny, Luna, and Hagrid._

_ Just wanted to let you know that Harry is doing great in his new post at the Auror's office. Who knows? In the next couple of years, he has a high potential of becoming Head of the Auror Office._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Ron_

Hermione took out a piece of parchment and wrote: _Ron, the next Hogsmeade date is Saturday, two weeks from today. See you then!_

She clamped the letter in the owl's beak. It immediately flew back to the rafters.

Speaking of Hagrid… Hermione hadn't seen him at all this year. She decided to go visit him.

The sound of crunching fall leaves was the only sound Hermione heard as she and Ginny made their way down the unforgettable path to Hagrid's Hut.

Hermione had convinced Ginny to go, after promising her that she would not have to eat any of Hagrid's infamous rock cakes. She also asked Luna, but Luna had replied that she had to finish passing out the Quibblers.

Hermione rapped twice on the heavy doors. There was no sound from within.

"Maybe he's in the Forest," she said to Ginny.

Ginny shuddered. She remembered the dark forest, where the spiders came crawling out in the battle. Ginny had also develop an arachnophobia like Ron.

But it turned out that they didn't need to venture in the Forest. Hagrid came looming out from its depth, holding something in his hands.

Hermione could never forget Hagrid's appearance. A wild nest of tangled hair covered his fully mustached face. He was taller than the average man, and bigger, too. If someone didn't know Hagrid, they would've found him scary, if not sinister. But if that same person were to look in Hagrid's beetle black eyes, they would've been greeted with the same warmth Hermione felt when Hagrid looked at her.

Hagrid stopped.  
>"'Ermione! Ginny! I didn't think you would 'ave come back this year, what with Kingley's proposition."<p>

"Hagrid, completing my education is more important." Hermione smiled.

"What are you holding, Hagrid?"

Hagrid sighed, and a deep look of sadness came upon his face.

"I've been finding them dead, these creatures. It's the third one this week."

Hermione and Ginny moved closer.

Hagrid was holding the body of a unicorn. Its majestic body laid still, blood pouring out from a wound. Its entire leg was missing. Obviously, it had just gotten away from imminent death. However, Death had not liked to be kept waiting.

"Do you know what's killing them, Hagrid?" Ginny said in a whisper.

"No. It's something huge. The first one I found, its entire body was-"

"Stop, please." Ginny was on the verge of tears.

Hermione was more interested.

"Hagrid, remember back in our first year, the unicorns were found dead? Do you think…"

But Hagrid was already shaking its head.

"The blood is not what the predator wants. Look at the wound marks. The predator would have stabbed it in the heart if he wanted more blood. However, the wounds are at the leg, the rear, or the stomach. The creature is killing it as food. Something is in the Forbidden Forest. I would appreciate it if you and Ginny and that blond girl help me find it."

Hermione shuddered inwardly. Her first thought was to object. Then she thought of Harry.

_What would Harry do? Harry was much braver than me. But Harry's too involved in his work to do this. It has to be me._

Hermione nodded. "Sure, Hagrid."

Hagrid beamed.

**Author's Note: Whoa, this chapter's long. I didn't actually plan it for being this long. As you may have guessed from the title, the creature is a dragon. How the dragon got there is the real mystery.**

**I really liked writing this chapter, and I hoped you enjoyed it as well. Thanks for reading, and remember to review! I'll take any kind of criticism, because, as you know, I'm a new FanFiction author. Thanks so much for reading this chapter!**

**I'm thinking of posting the next one in about 3 days. Until then, bye!**


	4. The Trouble With Grawp

**Author's Note: How many times do I have to say it? Again, the number of visitors surprised me! At the time of this writing, there are 208 visitors! Oh, and by the way, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw have some classes together. Thanks so much! **

Chapter 4: The Trouble With Grawp

"Ever since the Stone Ages, wizards sought out a need to create a Ministry of Magic. Back then, it was all a mess…"

Hermione's hand was scribbling faster than a toddler. Next to her, Ginny yawned, and Luna was absentmindedly doodling on an old copy of the _Quibbler. _History of Magic classes with Professor Binns could do that to a person.

Hermione herself stifled a yawn. _They seriously need to switch History of Magic teachers. _Then, she noticed something moving in the corridor.

It was Hagrid. When he got Hermione's full attention, he mouthed the words: _meet me in the forest._

Hermione quickly sat up. _Okay, _she mouthed back. Hagrid smiled a grim smile and left.

Throughout the class Hermione couldn't help but wonder what Hagrid wanted her to do. She had agreed to help him, but at the time, she didn't know what he had meant.

The second the bell rang, Hermione jumped from her desk. She pulled Ginny and Luna's hand and together they left the castle doors, into the bright noon sun.

The second they stepped into the dirt path of the Forbidden Forest, it was like someone turned off the sun.

"Get out your wands," Hermione said. "_Lumos!"_

The surrounding area was instantly illuminated. Ginny and Luna did the same.

"Hagrid?" Hermione called out tentatively. "HAGRID!" she called out louder.

The trees next to them instantly parted way.

Hermione spun around and pointed her wand.

"Relax, 'Ermione. It's me."

Hagrid's bearded face gave Hermione great relief. But what he was holding did not.

"Is that…"

"Yep. One of Aragog's descendants. Personally, I'm not that depressed. But what shocks me the most is that the creature is able to catch and kill such a venomous spider."

Hermione lifted her wand to the spider's body. There were two deep gashes in its side. Poison was oozing out from the holes.

"Hagrid, it looks like something bit it. Something with fangs. Let's go deeper."

The quartet slowly moved into the unknown. Owls whooped and once or twice, Hermione thought she heard something slithering around in the dead leaves.

ROOOOAAARRRR!

Hermione spun around, wand in hand.

"Lumos Maxima!" she cried. The wand light immediately exploded into ten times its size a second before.

Something large was blundering around the brush.

"HAGGER?" it cried.

"Grawpy, what's wrong?" Hagrid said, in a concerned voice.

"BITE. HURT. BLOOD. GREEN." The words came tumbling out of Grawp's mouth.

"Oh my…" Hermione whispered, pointing to Grawp's back.

Giant claw marks were present. Blood was pouring out.

"It's okay, Grawp." Hagrid said soothingly, but there was an edge of panic in his voice.

"Ginny, get Madam Pomfrey, now!" Hermione said urgently to Ginny.

While Ginny ran back to the castle, Hermione and Luna tried to calm Grawp down.

"_Vulnera Sanentur!" _Hermione cried. The gapes in Grawp's back were slowly sinking back into his skin.

"Luna, help! _Vulnera Sanentur!" _

When Hermione thought she could do no more, the blood and the wounds disappeared completely from Grawp's back.

Grawp's eyes rolled, and he fell face down into the mud. Sweat was sliding down Hermione's face.

"He's safe for now, I guess. We managed to seal the wounds. There should be no harm."

Just then Ginny came running back with Madam Pomfrey, and she was holding what was apparently a huge syringe.

"Let me see the patient," she said.

Twelve o'clock at midnight found Hermione and Ginny in the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione was completely done with her homework, and she was helping Luna and Ginny with theirs.

"Hermione, I really don't get why the Goblin Uprising would have caused the manufacture of gold to go down."

Hermione didn't bother looking up. "Page 37, 5th paragraph, second line. And Ginny, the result of adding a half dose of wormwood and seven quills from a porcupine do not create a solution to headaches, but a draught from seasickness."

Ginny put down her quill. "Hermione, I'm really tired of doing this. I'll just finish in the morning. What I want to talk about is the Hagrid situation."

Hermione snapped the book shut. "Yeah, about that, do you have any clue what the creature is? Remember the motto _Know Thine Enemy? _If we knew what it was, we could have some kind of advantage."

She pulled out a piece of parchment. On it was a chart.

"I've done a comparison of the victims. Each body, whether it is unicorn, spider, or giant, has scratch and bite marks. The creature is aiming to kill, rather than injure. The scratch marks on Grawp shows a relatively large animal, as big as Grawp himself, possibly larger. Also, the creature is green, because I take that as what Grawp meant by 'green'."

"What do you have in mind?" Ginny asked.

Hermione looked in the crackling fire. The logs burned slowly.

She turned back to look at Ginny.

"I don't know." She admitted. "I honestly don't know."

**Author's Note: I know, people, that this chapter is not as good as the other ones. I just needed this chapter to get everything moving. Sit tight and the next chapter's coming soon! Hopefully it'll be somewhat better. Please review!**


	5. Found in the Corridor

**Author's Note: I apologize for not updating this story so far. It has been aware a busy week for me because of Pottermore and school. That's right, you hear me, I got early access to Pottermore! It is pretty cool in these ways: 1.) You get to make potions! 2.) You have to collect items and potion ingredients 3.) Spell casting is a little weird but still cool. Well, without further ado here is chapter five! About this story: it has blood in it. So, if you are the kind of people who tends to stay away from red substances, skip this chapter. Go down to the Author's Note at the end: Full Summary!**

**Hey Fans, I really have a writer's block for the next chapter. Could you guys please review with comments on the next chapter? Thanks a lot! :) :) :)**

Chapter Five: Found in the Corridor

The cold, blustery month of November brought many students inside the warm castle, huddled around common room fires. Hagrid was found lumbering inside the kitchen, looking for scraps to feed the wild animals in the forest. The unicorn killer, however, was still on the loose.

It was one o'clock in the morning. Hermione was in the dark library, studying for an upcoming Charms test. She took out her wand and muttered, "_Incendio!" _The flame was immediately captured in a large glass jar. The dancing bluebell flame illuminated her homework, and gave her warmth, however little.

Hermione yawned, and looked down at the passage.

_The study of spells had already originated in the medieval period, from rich warlocks who studied magic. The spell itself is nothing more than meaningless words. The words themselves don't have power- it is the way the wizard interprets the words that allows magic. The words merely provide guidance. However, skilled wizards would be able to cast a Nonverbal Spell without the aid of words, thus proving that spell words have no effect whatsoever. _

Hermione scribbled some notes down. _It's much too late, _she thought. _I should head back to the common room._

She put the book away, and silently left the Library. Common sense meant that students were allowed to wander the halls as long as they don't get caught.

"_Lumos!"_ The wand light illuminated the empty corridor. Hermione set off at a quick pace back to the Gryffindor Common Room, clutching a set of notes she had taken in the library.

Just then a big shadow appeared on the wall. Hermione gasped.

It was Bill McLaggen.

"So, Hermione, what are you doing up so late?"

Hermione realized that it was the first time Bill used her first name.

"Just doing homework. What about you?"

Bill said in a whisper, "I was waiting for you."

Hermione sighed. "For the last time, Bill, I don't care at all for you! I really don't! You are disgusting, foul, and when was the last you took a shower? Just get out of my life, I mean it. And for the record, I already have a boyfriend- Ron. So you're out of luck."

For a second, Bill looked deflated. Then he brightened up and muttered, "As if he'll know." Then he smiled and said, "At least let me escort you back to the common room."

Hermione realized that it was the only way to get away from Bill. "Fine," she grumbled.

The pair walked together in the dark corridor. The people in the portraits were snoring soundly. Everything was quiet.

Hermione stepped on something squishy.

"What the…"

She lifted the wand light to the object.

It was a student, wearing ripped robes, with bloody gashes down the front.

"Oh my… Bill, get Professor McGonagall now!"

Bill's face was pale. He turned and ran down the corridor.

Hermione focused on the student.

He was only a first year, still unfamiliar with the rules of not going out after dark. His face was turning white from lack of blood. His robes were all in tatters, and he was holding an apple in his hand. His eyes were closed. Hermione checked the pulse. It was still beating, but growing ragged. The blood was still warm. He was attacked not an hour ago, possibly even shorter.

_That means the attacker is still nearby,_ Hermione thought. She casted her wand along the corridor. _Nothing… nothing… there! _There were a set of bloody footprints heading down the corridor. Hermione couldn't track it now, it was much too dark.

She turned back to the student. Then she noticed something at his mouth. Foam was sprouting around the lips, almost choking him. "_Anapneo!" _The foam was drawn away from the mouth, preventing choking.

_Foam. Why would there be foam? Magical creatures generally don't cause rabies. Unless he was poisoned._

She heard running footsteps down the corridor.

Professor McGonagall stopped dead at the sight of the mangled body. Her face was pale when she looked at Hermione.

"Professor, we still have time, he's still alive! Get Madam Pomfrey!"

The Headmistress tapped on a portrait of a witch dressed in a nurse's uniform.

"Please get Madam Pomfrey, immediately."

The witch in the portrait grimaced as she looked at the unfortunate student. "She'll be coming."

Professor McGonagall whipped out her wand.

"_Vulnera Sanentur," _she cried. The flow of blood stopped immediately.

Professor McGonagall turned to Hermione.

"Thank goodness you found him, Miss Granger. Any longer and he may not have lived. What can you add?"

"Professor, has he been poisoned?"

"Why do you say that, Miss Granger?"

"Well, he was foaming at the mouth when I found him."

Professor McGonagall's face somehow managed to turn paler than already was. She put her wand near the boy's throat and muttered an incantation. Seconds later, a bright green acid spilled out of his mouth.

The student awoke, gasping. "The thing… that green thing…" Then he fainted back into a stupor.

Professor McGonagall lifted the liquid up using her wand. She sniffed it, pulled up a vial from thin air, and transported the liquid inside.

Hermione was impelled to ask. "What was that, Professor?"

McGonagall grimaced. "Dragon's venom. There's a dragon loose somewhere in the grounds."

Hermione couldn't close her gaping mouth.

**Author's Note: I bet after reading this, YOU couldn't close your gaping mouth! Just kidding, you probably already guessed it was a dragon. **

**For those people who didn't read this chapter, here's what happened. Hermione found a student in the corridor, and he was still. She got freaked out, called McGonagall, and McGonagall determined it was a dragon that did it. End of chapter.**

**I have absolutely no idea when I will post chapter 6. School got me really busy. Maybe next week? **

**By the way, if you guys ever get into Pottermore, get sorted into Gryffindor! That's my House!"**


	6. A Tribute to the Victims of 911

**Tribute**

**Author's Note: *This is not a chapter to the Hermione Granger story, but my tribute to the victims of 9/11.* As you all know, today is September 11****th****, 2011, which marks the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the attempted attack on the White House.**

**There were 2,189 people who died in the attacks, of which 343 were police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. 40 were the brave souls of Flight 93, who sabotaged the hijackers' plan for the attack on the White House.**

**I want all of you to take a moment and reflect on the heroic actions of everyone in the attacks, including the survivors. They are the emblem of our country that represents bravery and heroism. **

**Thank you.**


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